Mary Magdalene, The Beloved Companion (Anne Baring Part 5)

Mary Magdalene has spent nearly two thousand years buried under other people’s interpretations of her. Repentant prostitute. Devoted disciple. Apostle to the apostles. Mystic. Wife of Jesus. Suppressed leader of early Christianity. This episode asks us to actually meet Miriam before deciding who she was.

This is Part 5 of my multi-part series with Anne Baring, a writer and Jungian analyst who has spent decades studying the Goddess tradition, Christian mysticism, Divine Wisdom, and the feminine dimension of divinity. If you’re new to the series, I recommend starting with Part 1, The Forgotten Feminine Face of God.

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Our previous conversation explored the Essenes, the Therapeutae, and the religious culture Anne believes surrounded Yeshua. Here, we focus on Mary Magdalene as a spiritually educated woman and an initiate in her own right.

We look at early Christian writings in which Mary repeatedly understands teachings that other disciples struggle to grasp, then ask the question at the center of this episode. How much spiritual authority did Mary possess?

Her relationship with Yeshua is part of that investigation. We discuss The Gospel of Philip, the Greek word koinōnos, traditions concerning their possible marriage, and the consequences of understanding Mary as Yeshua’s spiritual counterpart.

We also discuss The Gospel of the Beloved Companion and Annine van der Meer’s Mary Magdalene Unveiled, which examines proposed connections between the Beloved Companion material and the canonical Gospel of John. These claims are extremely controversial. Anne finds the case persuasive, and so do I. I’ve included key sources below so you can examine the material yourself.

Near the end, Anne reads an initiatory teaching attributed to Miriam concerning ascension, direct spiritual knowledge, fear, and power. After the interview, I return for a longer reflection on why I think this teaching deserves serious contemplation.

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ANNE BARING // https://www.annebaring.com/

EARLY CHRISTIAN TEXTS

☿ Pistis Sophia

☿ The Gospel of Mary

☿ The Gospel of Philip

☿ The Gospel of Thomas

☿ The Gospel of John

MARY MAGDALENE RESEARCH

✦ Jehanne de Quillan, The Gospel of the Beloved Companion

✦ Annine van der Meer, Mary Magdalene Unveiled

✦ Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels

✦ Margaret Barker, First Temple theology and traditions of heavenly ascent

VISIONARY SOURCE

☽ Claire Heartsong, Anna, Grandmother of Jesus

SOURCE NOTE: Compare translations, read competing interpretations, and see where your own research takes you.

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Next in the series: The Black Madonna, the Grail and the Survival of the Feminine Tradition.

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